Elastic gloves

ABSTRACT

Elastic form-fitting surgical gloves and the like in which the center of the first joint of the thumb portion is transversely located forward of the palm of the hand shaped form, and is laterally located at one side of the finger portions, and in which the thumb portion bends at a traverse angle away from the palm and at a later angle toward the side of the thumb on which the finger portions are located.

United States Patent Giambrone 1 1 Dec. 26, 1972 [54] ELASTIC GLOVES [56] References Cited [72] inventor: Harry Joseph Gialnbrone, Kettering, UNITED STATES PATENTS ohm 7 1,206,102 11/1916 Gibson ..2/l59 [73] Assignee: Baxter Laboratories, Inc., Morton 2. 75.550 3/1937 Smith -.2/ 168 Grove m 1,894,066 1/1933 Smith ..2/i68 3,541,609 11/1970 Povlacs et ai ..2/l68 [22] Filed: July 15, 1971 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin [21] App! 162862 Assistant Examiner-G. V. Larkin Related Us. pp D". Attorney-W. Garrettson Ell1s [62] Division ofSer. No. 868,331, Oct. 22, 1969, Pat. No. ABSTRACT Elastic form-fitting surgical gloves and the like in which the center of the first joint of the thumb portion [52] U.S. C1 ..2/163, 2/167 is transversely located forward of the p of the h [51] Int. Cl. ..A4ld 19/00 shaped and is laterally located at one Side of [58] Field 61 Search ..2/163 164 167 168 159 and which the thumb bends [161 at a traverse angle away from the palm and at a later angle toward the side of the thumb on which the 7 finger portions are located.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ELASTIC GLOVES No. 868,331, filed Oct. 22,1969, now US. Pat. No.

. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Elastic gloves made out of latex, vinyl plastisols, or the like are commonly formed by spraying a handshaped form with the material used to form the glove, or dipping the same form into the material. The material is then allowed to cure on the hand-shaped glove form, being thereafter stripped off to form an elastic glove.

Elastic gloves are used in surgery, and they of course have many other known uses. However, a problem with elastic, and particularly vinyl plastisol, gloves which particularly afflicts surgeons is that their hands become tired'upon working for long periods of time while wearing the glove. The reason for this is that in conventional gloves the natural resilience of the glove urges the wearers hand toward the open position in which the glove was originally made on the glove form. Surgeons and other workers thus find that their hands become tired as they work with thumb and opposed fingers generally positioned together to grip a scalpel or other instruments, because of the constant urging force tending to pull the fingers and thumb apart to the original position of the glove.

At the same time, there are certain limitations inherent in the nature of glove forms, due to the fact that the glove has to be easily stripped from the form in order to provide an efficient process of glove making, but without stretching the glove excessively during removal from the form. Also, the glove making form must be shaped to provide a glove which snugly fits the hand in all positions and which .does not leave loose areas of the glove hanging down in certain positions of the hand.

The glove form of this invention is used to prepare elastic gloves which are easily removed from the form and which snugly fit the hand in all positions. Additionally, the gloves produced have greatly reduced resistance to the user bringing the thumb and fingers together, to reduce tiring of the hand upon prolonged wearing of the glove under conditions of surgical or other close and delicate work.

Referring to the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the glove form of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective of the glove form of this invention with an elastic glove formed thereon.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1. 7

Referring to the drawings, hand-shaped glove'form 10, which can typically be made of metal or ceramic, has an arm and wrist portion 12, and a hand portion 14 having a palm l6 and a back 18. Finger portions 20, 22, 24, and 26 and thumb portion 28 are attached to hand portion 14 to provide a unitary form resembling a human forearm and hand. Form is shown in FIG. 3

the glove form of to carry a glove 27 formed thereon by spraying or dipping.

Thumb portion 28 has a first joint 29, the center of which is located at 30 on the center line or longitudinal axis 32 of thumb portion 28. In accordance with this invention, thumb portion 28 and center 30 are transversely located forward of the palm 16 of hand portion 14, as shown in FIG. 2. By the term transverse is meant the direction which is perpendicular to the mutually perpendicularlongitudinal axis 34 and lateral axis36 extending across hand portion 14 of form 10. Center 30 of the first joint of the thumb portion is also laterally located at one side of the finger portions as shown in FIG. 1, as well as being transversely located forward of the finger portions and palm 16. In other words, center I 30 of the first joint of the thumb portion is positioned outside of the outside edge of index finger 20.

Gloves 27 formed upon glove form 10 hang naturally with the first joint of their thumb portions in a generally forward and sideward relation to the palm and finger portions of the glove.

Finger portions 20, 22, 24, and, 26 each have longitudinal axes 36, 38, 40, and 42 which are generally parallel to each other. However, thumb portion 28 has a longitudinal axis 32 which, as viewed from the first joint 30 to the tip of the thumb portion, is oriented at a transverse angle to the finger portion axes 36, 38, 40, and 42, extending away from palm 16. This angle is shown in FIG. 2 to be preferably about 13. Furthermore, the longitudinal axis 32 of thumb portion 28 is also oriented at a lateral angle to the finger portion axes, inclining toward the side of thumb portion on which the finger portions are located. This is shown in FIG. 1 to be an angle of preferably about 8.

The purpose of this is to provide an elastic glove in which the natural unstressed position of the thumb more closelyapproximates the position in which the user is likely to hold the thumb during use of the glove, to make long term surgical operations and other work less fatiguing for the muscles controlling the hand.

While the above transverse and lateral angles of 13 and 8 respectively are preferred angles of inclination of axis 32 of thumb portion 28, it is understood that variations of these angles are considered to be within the scope of this invention. In particular, combinations of the two angles within limits of plus or minus 5 from the values stated result in gloves incorporating advantages of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that an edge 44 defined in formlo by a transverse section taken across the first joint 29, and extending from first joint 29 to back 18, defines a continuous convex curve with respect to the exterior of the form 10. The purpose of this is to provide extra glove material to permit easier opposing movement of the thumb against the fingers while wearing the glove. When the shape of the continuous convex curve approximates that shown in the drawings, the glove produced on form 10 retains its form fitting characteristic on the hand despite reduced resistance to closing of thumb and fingers.

Preferably, longitudinal axis 34 of arm and wrist portion 12 is essentially coaxial with the axis 38 of middle finger 22. Furthermore, the axis 42 of finger portion 26 corresponding to the little finger, and axis 40 of finger portion 24 corresponding to the ring finger, are each preferably displaced forward of a plane including the axes 36 and 38 of finger portions 20 and 22 corresponding to the forefinger and middle finger, as shown in FIG. 2. This produces a slight curvature along the area corresponding to the knuckles in the human hand to further relieve stress on the hand of the wearer of a glove of this invention in the working position.

The gloves made upon the form of this invention are typically made of vinyl chloride polymer plastisol, in which this invention finds particular advantage because of the relatively high resistance to stretching of typical vinyl plastisols. However, any other flexible and elastic material such as natural and organic rubber latices and the like can be advantageously used to make the glove of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An elastic form-fitting glove which comprises an arm and wrist portion, a hand portion having a palm and a back generally parallel to said arm andwrist portion, finger portions including index and middle finger portions, and a thumb portion, in which said thumb portion has a first joint portion, in which, in as-molded configuration, the center of said first joint portion is transversely located forward of said palm and laterally positioned outside of the outside edge of said index finger portion, said finger portions having longitudinal axes which are generally parallel to each other, the axis of the middle finger portion being essentially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the arm and wrist portion, said thumb portion having a longitudinal axis oriented from said first joint to the tip of the thumb portion at an acute transverse angle to said finger portion axes inclining away from said palm and finger portions.

2. The glove of claim 1 in which said thumb axis is also oriented at an acute lateral angle to said finger por tion axes, inclining toward said side on which said finger portions are located.

3. The glove of claim 2 in which said transverse angle is essentially 13 and said lateral angle is essentially 8.

4. The glove of claim 2 in which an edge defined between said first joint and the back of said hand portion by a transverse section taken across said first joint of the thumb portion, defines a continuous, convex curve with respect to the exterior of said form.

5. The glove of claim 4 in which the axes of the finger portions corresponding to the little and ring fingers are displaced forward of a plane including the axes of the finger portions corresponding to the forefinger and middle finger, the axis of the finger portion corresponding to the little finger being displaced farther forward than the axis of the finger portion corresponding to the ring finger. Y

6. The glove of claim 5 in which said transverse angle is essentially 13 and said lateral angle is essentially 8.

7. The glove of claim 5 in which said thumb and finger portions are straight.

8. The glove of claim 1 in which said thumb and finger portions are straight. 

1. An elastic form-fitting glove which comprises an arm and wrist portion, a hand portion having a palm and a back generally parallel to said arm and wrist portion, finger portions including index and middle finger portions, and a thumb portion, in which said thumb portion has a first joint portion, in which, in asmolded configuration, the center of said first joint portion is transversely located forward of said palm and laterally positioned outside of the outside edge of said index finger portion, said finger portions having longitudinal axes which are generally parallel to each other, the axis of the middle finger portion being essentially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the arm and wrist portion, said thumb portion having a longitudinal axis oriented from said first joint to the tip of the thumb portion at an acute transverse angle to said finger portion axes inclining away from said palm and finger portions.
 2. The glove of claim 1 in which said thumb axis is also oriented at an acute lateral angle to said finger portion axes, inclining toward said side on which said finger portions are located.
 3. The glove of claim 2 in which said transverse angle is essentially 13* and said lateral angle is essentially 8*.
 4. The glove of claim 2 in which an edge defined between said first joint and the back of said hand portion by a transverse section taken across said first joint of the thumb portion, defines a continuous, convex curve with respect to the exterior of said form.
 5. The glove of claim 4 in which the axes of the finger portions corresponding to the little and ring fingers are displaced forward of a plane including the axes of the finger portions corresponding to the forefinger and middle finger, the axis of the finger portion corresponding to the little finger being displaced farther forward than the axis of the finger portion corresponding to the ring finger.
 6. The glove of claim 5 in which said transverse angle is essentially 13* and said lateral angle is essentially 8*.
 7. The glove of claim 5 in which said thumb and finger portions are straight.
 8. The glove of claim 1 in which said thumb and finger portions are straight. 